Toy vehicle.



PATENTED MAY 19, 1903. H. N. PARKER. TOY VEHICLE.

APPLIOATIOH FILED NOV. 16, 1901.

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HOMEHNEWTON PARKER, OF .WINOHENDON, MASSACHUSETTS.

TOY VEHICLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 728,286, datedMay 19, 1903.

Application filed November 16, 1901. Serial No. 32,516. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, HOMER NEWTON PARKER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Winchendon, in the county of Worcester and Commonwealth of Massachusetts,

have invented a new'and useful Improvement in Toy Vehicles, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the ac companying drawings, forming part of the same, in which- Figure 1 represents a side view of a toyvehicle embodying my invention. Fig; 2 is .a' bottom view of the same; and Fig. 3 is aver-I tical sectional view on line 3 3, Fig. 2. J Similar reference-letters refer to similar parts in the difierent views. 3

My present invention relates to vehicles which are propelled by a spring-motor; and it has for its object to provide means for stoppingthe action of the motor, so as to 'bring thevehicle to a state of rest when in its normalposition upon thefioor or other supporting-surface, for releasing the motor when it is desired to start the vehicle, and for automatically stopping the action of the motor wheneverthe vehicle is upset or is raised from the floor, and I accomplish these results by means of the construction and arrangement of parts, ashereinafter described, and set forth in the annexed claims.

Motor driven vehicles have been constructed heretofore inwhichthe motor-driven axle has been provided with a projection adapted :toengage a-fixedstop, and thereby check the rotation of the motor-driven axle and stopthe vehicle. In this class of toy vehicles the motor-driven axle when the body.

of the Vehicle is raised from the floor is tion into engagement with the fixed stop; but when the vehicleis placed upon the floor the weight of the body is suflicient to carry the fixed stop out of the path of the projection on the axle and allow the latter to turn. In toy vehicles of this construction vthe-movement of the axle is produced by gravity,which is capable'of acting in a vertical plane only. The motor, therefore, is not stopped in case the vehicle is upset or turned over on its side; neither is the motor stopped if the vehicle is removed from the floor and held in an inverted position, for in such a position 'the weight'of the axle will actto carry its 1 :thefloor andalsotostartlthe same in motion when desired, so that the vehicle may be 5 made to stop at difierent points along its line of movement and again-put in motion without" being lifted from-thefioor, or if the toy vehicle containing my. invention be tipped over upon its side the action of the motor is instantly stopped, and it is also stopped in case the vehicle is l'ift'ed'from the 'floor andheldinan inverted position, which'is the most convenient position for. winding the spring of the motor. The above results cannot be obtained by a motor-stopping device which depends for-its operation uponthe action of gravity for'the reason that gravity willonly act in a vertical direction.

7 Referring to the. accompanying drawings, A denotes the body'of a toy vehicle embodyingimyinventiom B, theforward wheels; 0,

- the motor-driven axle provided with the driving-wheels D D, attached-to the axle;

Supported by the bodyof the vehicle are cross-bars'E and F, which: when the vehiclebody is 'made of sheet'metal may be conven ie'ntly formed of 'wooden strips securely attached to the sides of the bodyin any suitable manner to form a supportfor the motorfra'me G, in which are "journaled spindles H H. The spindle H is driven by a coiled clockspring I in the direction of the arrowa,and it carries a gear-wheel J, engaging apiniQnK on the spindle H. idle H is communicated by a gear Ltoa pin.- ion M on the driving-axle 0, thereby propelling the vehicle. The spindle H is elongated on one side of the motor-frameG and is provided with a squared end N to receive a key for winding the spring I, and the spindle H is held from reverse movement by a retain- The rotation of tide-spinheld in engagement with the teeth of the ratchet-wheel P by a spring Q. The motordriven axle O is preferably inclosed in slots R in the fixed framework or body of the vehicle, said slots being curved concentrically with the axle of the spindle H in order to restrain the movement of the motor-driven axle within the framework to a path concentric with the spindle H. When the motor is in operation, the spindle H and gear J rotate in the direction of the arrow at, driving the gear Lin the direction of the arrow 1) and rotating the pinion M and driving-wheels D D in the direction of the arrow 0. The force of the spring I in rotating the gear L in the direction of the arrow Z) tends to carry the pinion M around the gear-wheel L in the direction of the arrow cl and against a fixed bar S, held in the motor-frame G and in the path of the pinion M as it is carried around the axis of the gearwheel L, causing the axle O to travel in the curved slot R until the teeth of the pinion M are brought into engagement with the fixed bar S, thereby checking the rotation of the axle C and stopping the motor. The teeth of the pinion M are slightly rounded or tapered at their ends, so that the pinion M is not fully stopped until the fixed bar S is crowded between the teeth of the pinion M. In case the tips of the pinion-teeth simply strike the fixed bar S they will act as cams to lift the axle C until the pinion-teeth clear the bar S. The instant the vehicle is raised from the floor the force of the motor-spring G will cause the pinion M to roll around the periphery of the gear-wheel L until the teeth of the pinion M are carried into engagement with the fixed bar S,when the motor will be stopped, whatever the position of the vehicle. If the vehicle is inverted in order to wind the motor-springorforanyotherpurpose,the force of the motor-spring G will continue to hold the pinicn M in close engagement with the fixed bar When the vehicle is lightly placed upon the floor, it is retained in a state of rest until a slight downward pressure is applied to the body in order to push the fixed bar S downward out of engagement with the teeth of the pinion M, when the vehicle will be set in motion, and in case the tips of the teeth on the pinion M strike the fixed bar S they will act as cams to raise the axle and the motion of the vehicle will continue. Whenever it is desired to stop the movement of the vehicle on the floor, the body is slightly raised to al low the pinion M to again be carried into engagement with the bar S, which will be crowded into the angular space between the bases of two adjacent teeth, when the vehicle will be brought to a state of rest until again started by a down ward pressure upon the body of the vehicle.

To render it more convenient to wind the motor-spring with the key held in the right hand and the vehicle in the left, the vehicle maybe inverted, and when in this position a gravity-actuated motor-stopping mechanism would be inoperative. Also a gravity-operated mechanism for checking the motor which would operate when the body of the vehicle was in an upright position would fail to operate when the body was lying on its side.

The above-described construction operates equally well whatever the position of the Vehicle-body maybe, and it also enables the vehicle to be stopped and started when supported in its normal position on the floor by a slight lifting of the body of the vehicle or by a slight pressure thereon, as the case may be, for the reason that when the driving-wheels D are supported on the floor and their rotation is thereby checked the movement of the pinion M around the periphery of the gearwheel L and into operative engagement with the bar S requires to be slightly aided by either lifting or depressing the body of the vehicle, and this condition enables the user to stop the vehicle in any desired position on the floor.

I am aware it is not new to employ a springactuated motor for propelling a toy Vehicle in which the force of a clock-sprin g is applied through a train of gears to one of the axles of the vehicle carrying a pinion; but in my present construction I utilize the force of the motor-spring to carry the axle toward a fixed bar arranged to engage the teeth of the axlepinion independently of the action of gravity, and I round or taper the ends of the teeth in the axle-pinion, so they will exert a cam action to raise the axle whenever the tips of the teeth strike the fixed bar.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a motor-driven toy vehicle the combination of a motor-driven axle provided with a pinion, a driving-gear connecting said pinion with the motor, whereby the axle is rotated, slots inclosing said axle whereby said axle is capable of a slight movement in a curved line concentric with said driving-gear and a fixed stop in the path of said axle as it is moved concentrically with said drivinggear and in the direction of its rotation, whereby the force of the motor is utilized to carry the pinion on said axle into engage ment with said fixed stop, substantially as described. I

2. In a motor-driven toy vehicle the combination of a motor, a motor-driven axle, slots inclosing said axle, means for connecting said axle and said motor, whereby said axle is rotated and moved in an arc of a circle in said slots toward a fixed stop, and a fixed stop arranged in the path of said axle, and a pinion on said axle arranged to engage said fixed stop, substantially as described.

3. In a toy vehicle the combination with a body portion, a motor-frame held in a fixed position in said body portion, a motor supported in said frame, a motor-driven axle, slots inclosing said axle whereby said axle is capable of a slight movement toward or away from a'fixed stop, a fixed stop, and means for.

operatively connecting said axle with said motor, whereby said axle is rotated and also carried toward said fixed stop, substantially as described.

4. In a toy vehicle, the combination of a frame held in a fixed position and. provided with slots inclosing a motor-driven-axle, a motor-driven axle inolosed in said slots, a

pinion on said axle,-a fixed stop adapted tocarry a projectile onsaid axle into engagement with said fixed stop,subs'tantially' as described;

6. The combination with a body A'of a framaG held in a fixed position insaid-body,

a motor-spring I held in said frame, an axle O provided with a pinion M operatively con-' nected with said motor-spring, whereby said axleis rotated, slots 'R inclosing said axle,

whereby said axle-is capable of a slight movement, afixed stop S arranged to engage said pinion M, and means for connecting said pinion M and' said motor-spring to rotate said axle and also to carryit into engagement with said stop, substantially as described.

HOMER NEWTON, A KER.v

Witnesses: i

A; V. GOODSPEED, W; S. THOMAS. 

